Harvester



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-$heefi 1. E. 0. BANKER HARVE$TER.

W HIJQSSQS NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN CHARLES BANKER, OF BUCK CREEK, WVISCONSIN,

HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 467,252 2, datedJanuary 19, 1892. Application filed June'd'O, 1891. Serial No. 398,084.(No model.)

Buck Creek, in the county of Richland and State of Wisconsin, haveinvented a new and useful Harvestelg'of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to harvesters of that class known as endlesscutting apparatus; and the object of the same is to effect certainimprovements therein.

To this end the invention'consists in the novel features of constructionincidentally set forth in the following specification, pointed out inthe claims, and illustrated on the two sheets of drawings, wherein-Figure 1 isa plan View of this device. Fig.

2 is a central longitudinal section thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation in detail of one of the ratchet-boxes.Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective detail showing the connection betweentwo of the knives. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View.

In the said drawings, the letter F designates, broadly, the frame-workcarried by the supporting-wheels WV. T is the tongue to which the poweris attached. A is the adjusting mechanism for raising and lowering thecutting apparatus O, and R are the ratchetboxes, so called because oftheir function, these parts being, respectively, of the constructionsshown and more particularly described below, although it is to beunderstood that considerable change may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

On the ends of the main axle 1 are mounted the supporting-wheels WV,each of which has a ring of gear-teeth 2, preferably on its inner faceand near its periphery.

The frame-work F comprises bars 3, projecting forwardly from the axle 1and connected by a cross-piece 4, from whose ends depend hangers 5,carrying the cutting apparatus C, and the lower ends of these hangersare connected by inclined braces 6 with the axle, whereby the entireframe-Work is supported from the axle, and hence by the main Wheels.Depending from the center of the cross-piece 4 is a bracket 7, having avertical slot 8, and the tongue T passes through this slot and ispivotally connected in any suitable manner, as at 9, to the center ofthe axle below the drivers seat, as shown.

The adjusting mechanism A comprises a lever 10, pivotally connected,through the bracket 7, to a cross-piece 4 of the frame-work, andpivotally connected near its front end at the point 12 to an upright 13,rising from the tongue T. This lever extends past a toothed arc 14,rising from the axle at one side of the drivers seat, and has a flangeor lip 15, adapted to engage the teeth thereof. By this construction,the tongue being supported by the team in approximately horizontalposition, if the driver depress the rear end of the lever 10 the latterwill turn on its pivot 12, and its front end 11 will elevate thecross-piece 4 and thereby raise the entire cutting apparatus 0. By thismeans the driver, from his seat, can adjust the height from the groundat which the cutting apparatus shall travel, and the lip by beingbrought into engagement with the proper tooth on the are 14 will holdthe cutting apparatus in its adjusted position.

The said cutting apparatus 0 comprises a horizontal finger-bar 20, fromwhich project forwardly fingers 21, and at each end of this bar is theusual shoe 22, in which is mounted on a horizontal axis a Wheel 23,preferably having a number of flat faces. At the ends of the cross-piece 4 are journaled other wheels 24 of a similar construction, andintegral therewith or connected thereto are gearwheels 25, intermeshingwith large gears 26 on tend rearwardly, as shown. The knives 28 areconnected in an endless chain or belt, which passes over and around thefour Wheels 24 24 23 23, and receives its-.motion through the gears 26in a manner set forth below. The connection of the knives with eachother is best seen in Fig. 4, and is made by forming an eye 28 in oneedge of each knife near its base and a tongue 29 at the other ,edgethereof, the tongues being passed through the eyes in adjacent knivesand turned over so that the knives in the belt will be loosely connectedwith each other to permit their passage over the four wheels at thecorners of the cutting apparatus. .Bolted or riveted to the under sideof this knife is a the front ends of shafts 27 and 27, whichex block 29,which, as seen in Fig. 5, moves against the front edge of the finger-bar20 and through transverse grooves across the fingers 21, and by thismeans the backward movement of the chain or knives under the resistanceafforded in the act of cutting is resisted. In practice there willprobably be a hood carried by the cross-piece 4 and covering the upperside of the endless chain as well as the gear-wheels 25 and 26, in orderthat no accident may befall the operator or the horses.

In Fig. 3 is seen a ratchet-box R, which consists of a gear-wheel 30,having a hollow hub 31, wherein on opposite sides of the center arepivoted pawls 32,whose tips are pressed normally inward by springs 33.The abovementioned shaft 27 passes through the crosspiece 4 at the point34: and through the axle at the point 35, and has journals at both saidpoints, and the above-described ratchet-box is mounted on the shaft inrear of the right end of the main axle 1, the shaft being provided withrecesses 36, forming teeth with which the tips of the pawls 32 engage,as will be clearly understood. At the other end of the axle 1 a bearing35' projects forwardly from said axle, and the shaft 27' is journaled at34 in the cross-piece and at its rear end in said bearing 35, but doesnot extend to the rear of this end of the axle. A similar box is alsomounted on this shaft in such position that its gear 30 will engage thering 2 on the left driving-wheel 1V. These ratchetboxes are obviouslyfor the purpose of permitting the machine to be backed without drivingthe cutting apparatus, or of permitting it to turn corners, when onewheel W will travel faster than the other, and not break the belt ofknives by driving one large gear 26 faster than the other. If preferred,only one of the boxes might be used without departing from the spirit ofmy invention.

With a machine of the above construction a team is hitched to thetongue, the driver takes his seat, and the device is drawn over theground. The gears 30 of the ratchet-boxes R engage the toothed rings 2on the wheels W and turn the shafts 27 and 27 in the same direction andat the same speed, which is quite high, because said rings 2 are so nearthe peripheries of the wheels. The large gears 26 intermesh with thesmaller ones 25 and drive the wheels 21- at the upper corners of thecutting apparatus simultaneously and at very high speed, and thiscausesthe endless chain of knives to pass through the fingers 21 and cut thegrain. The latter falls over the fingerbar 20 and through the chain ofknives, and as the hangers 5 are of considerable length the cross-piece4 of the frame F is so high above the finger-bar 20 that the grain canfall to the rear and pass between the wheels without interruption.

\Vhen it is desired to adjust the height of the cutting apparatus fromthe ground, the operator grasps the rear end of the lever 10 and raisesor lowers it in accordance with whether he desires the cutting apparatusrespectively lowered or raised, the weight of said cut-ting apparatusbeing sustained at the proper point by engaging the lip 15 under theproper tooth of the are 14, as above described.

hat is claimed as new is- 1. In a harvester, the combination, with a frame-work carried by the main axle, su pporting-wheels at the ends ofthe latter having toothed rings, gears engaging said rings, anddriving-shafts leadingfrom said gears through the frame, of hangersdepending from the cross-piece of said frame, a fin ger-bar connectingsaid hangers, wheels at the ends of said finger-barand cross-piece, anendless chain of knives passing over said wheels and through thefingers, and gears connecting the wheels at the ends of the frame withthose on the shafts, as set forth.

2. In a harvester, the combination, with an axle, driving-wheels thereonhaving rings of teeth, a f rame-work projecting forwardly from the axle,and a cutting apparatus carried by said frame-work, ofdriving-shafts forsaid apparatus passing rearwardly through and journaled in the cross-barof said framework, one passing also through the axle, ratchetboxes onsaid driving-shafts, and gears connected to said boxes and engaging saidtoothed rings, one in rear and the other in front of the axle, as andfor the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myownIhave hereto affixed mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN CHARLES BANKER.

Witnesses:

O. F. BLACK, W. E. BLACK.

